One of the most common questions I get from non-medical friends, family, and acquaintances is, “So is the hospital really like Grey’s Anatomy? I’ve heard Scrubs is the most realistic medical TV show!” In fact, I remember once being told (back when Grey’s Anatomy was all the rage, circa the post-Super Bowl bomb episode, but …
March 15th, 2013; The Ides of March; The historically unlucky day that marks the anniversary of the assassination of Julius Caesar; The day that Allison Greco got her first real job as an internal medical resident. Match day works similarly to the way fraternity and sorority rush work. After interviewing, applicants electronically submit a list …
I remember that during my first, second, and third years of medical school, I would see fourth year students and think about how composed, how educated, and how relaxed they looked. I’d hear them chat about how wonderful it was to be a fourth year medical student and how they loved the ability to miss …
During this month’s Radiology rotation, I spent a day in the hospital mammography clinic observing mammograms, breast ultrasounds, and needle-guided biopsies. While I really enjoyed interacting with some incredible women and thought my radiology course was both educational and practical, those are stories best left for another time. This story is about when the gravity …
“Hello, I’m currently a junior in high school. I am aspiring to become a doctor and I was just wondering if you have time to give some advice on some of the steps you took in order to become a medical student. I am really stressed and concerned on where to attend undergraduate school and …
Today I can put my feet up and breathe a sign of relief, because I am officially halfway finished interviewing for residency! The last few weeks have been a complete whirlwind of traveling, resident dinners, and dry-cleaning trips, but I can honestly say I’ve enjoyed every minute, and I am happy to share some of …
If you’ve read my last two posts, you know that as a fourth year student, most of my attention has been directed to my residency application in one way or another. But between sharing my experiences during specialty-tailored rotations and USMLE Step 2, I feel like I’ve neglected to share the details of the single …
My number one priority during the past two months has been studying for my next set of medical licensing examinations. The exams, administered by the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Service and commonly referred to as Step 2, are taken after the third year of medical school. While Step 1 is taken during or …
During my inpatient sub-I rotation, one of the patients I had been following was transferred to the intensive care unit. As the rotation progressed, my resident would check up on our patient and give us updates like, “oh, they’re on pressure support now,” or “the unit team started weaning pressors today.” So, um, that meant …
This week, medical social media spheres have been buzzing with perspectives regarding New York Times Well Blog piece, The Bullying Culture of Medical School. The piece, written by Dr. Pauline Chen (@paulinechen), surgeon and author of the Times’ Doctor and Patient column, recounts a particular incident in medical school where students were both physically and …
Ah, after a bit of a hiatus filled with colorectal surgery and a relaxing summery vacation, I am back in full-force MD2B action. During this time, I officially made the long-awaited transition to my fourth year of medical school. Our fourth year orientation was filled with anxiety-provoking lectures about letters of recommendation, personal statements, and … Continue reading »
I was in the midst of a 3-week geriatrics elective when I curiously read Is Geriatric Medicine Terminally Ill?, an article in the American College of Physicians (ACP) publication, Annals of Internal Medicine. In short, the article stated that since its creation in 1988, the field originally created to care for the complex medical needs … Continue reading »
When I was asked to write some advice for rising MSIIIs, I had to take a step back; after all, I still have nearly 12 weeks left in my own 3rd year and feel as though I haven’t truly mastered it. Regardless, while brainstorming for tricks and tidbits to pass a long, I ended up … Continue reading »
I am proud to say that April 1st marks the official one-year anniversary of http://www.md2bgrecoa3.com! During the year, I’ve learned a lot about myself, defined my future career goals, made some wonderful professional connections, and most importantly, have been able to fully explore and unite two of my favorite interests – media and medicine. One … Continue reading »
Every career has that one question that is notoriously hated by all. For nurses, that question is, “So, why didn’t you want to be a doctor?” For teachers, it’s questions about the age-old adage, “Those who can’t do, teach.” For medical students, that question is, “So, do you know what you want to do?” It’s … Continue reading »
If you’ve ever spent time in the Operating Room, you are already familiar with the words the circulating nurse uses to signal the Time Out – the few minutes before a procedure begins when the surgical and anesthesia teams review a patient’s case. If you’re a non-medical type, or a medical student whose surgical rotations … Continue reading »
During my recent Family Medicine rotation, I attended an informal lecture about advocacy. I’d been exposed to the concept advocacy in the past, particularly in my pediatric rotation, but those advocacy sessions primarily involved sharing information about the various community organizations and resources that were available to our patients – Woman, Infants, and Children (WIC), … Continue reading »
